The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1543694
24 ■ THE WOLFPACKER ible ability to be able to move onto the next thing and not let what happened the game before, the day before, the play before bother him. He can just stay in the present moment, which is really a super- power. He's got that." Not A Typical Freshman Able has become an instant-impact scorer when he enters the game for NC State. Not only has he knocked down 26 of his 70 triples in conference play, but he's made a concerted effort to use his wiry frame to weave his way into the paint for layups and floaters to expand his game. Wade pushed him to do so. That, in turn, opened up his game to a new level. Able's development has been eye-open- ing to watch from afar. His teammates have noticed it, too, especially senior guard Quadir Copeland. Copeland, NC State's do-it-all point guard, saw it as his responsibility to men- tor Able this season. He's been a sound- ing board for the first-year player, some- one to bounce questions or thoughts off of. And yet, looking at his growth over the course of the season, Copeland makes it clear that it was all Able's doing. "His development has been amazing, but I think it's all been on him," Cope- land said. "We've been hard on him, but he's grown himself. He understands all the mistakes and fixed them himself. He doesn't really need us to do too much talking to him. It was rather a fact of him knowing he's got us to lean on. "Matt is strong-minded. He gets a lot of the things done himself. I don't want to take credit for his growth. He did this on his own." There's that trait again: strong- minded. It's what sets Able apart from the typical freshman. He knows his po- tential is sky high, and in working to im- prove himself, he has also fully bought into making winning plays. It's not just his elite three-point shot that has been a difference-maker, but also his defense in the passing lanes, which has allowed him to rack up 36 total steals and average 3.4 rebounds per contest. In a way, Able's game is coming to- gether all at once. And at the perfect time. NC State has been trying to get refocused with the ACC Tournament coming up, and just over the horizon is the NCAA tourney in which the Pack will be looking to make a run after missing out last year. Able figures to play a large role in de- termining how far the team advances. NC State's coaching staff knew that this ver- sion of him existed all along. He's worked hard to turn his potential into reality, staying after practice for extra work and watching film like Wade wants him to. In the process, he has become a key scorer and a spark coming off the Wolfpack's bench. "You knew it was coming," Wade said. "It was just a matter of him growing throughout the year. Give him credit, he stuck with it. I'm sorry I couldn't help him more earlier in the year. I think we would have gotten to this point a little bit quicker. I'm glad we're here now." ■ " He's got incredible mental toughness. He's got an incredible ability to be able to move onto the next thing and not let what happened the game before, the day before, the play before bother him. He can just stay in the present moment, which is really a superpower. He's got that." Coach Will Wade on Able The No. 19 overall recruit and No. 6 shooting guard in the 2025 class, per On3, Able has made steady progress in his first year on campus. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS